Lesson Learned
by badly-knitted
Summary: Dee has found the perfect desk for his and Ryo's home office. Written using the prompt 'Size'. Set after Like Like Love.


**Title:** Lesson Learned

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** Dee, Ryo, OCs.

 **Rating:** PG

 **Setting:** After Like Like Love.

 **Summary:** Dee has found the perfect desk for his and Ryo's home office.

 **Word Count:** 797

 **Written Using:** The tw100 prompt 'Size'

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

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"Dee, don't be ridiculous! It's far too big! It'll never fit!"

"Sure it will! I measured everything and it'll fit with room to spare."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. See?" Dee pulled out a sheet of paper on which was drawn a plan of their apartment, with all measurements carefully marked. According to his calculations, the antique desk would fit comfortably in the home office space they'd created. "So are we havin' it or not?"

Ryo smiled. "It really would look great."

"That's settled then. I'll go pay for it. They said they can deliver tomorrow."

The following morning, the two of them were waiting outside when the van pulled up and their new desk was unloaded onto the sidewalk. With a helping hand from the delivery team, they got it up the stoop and through the front door into the downstairs hallway. Dee thanked the two men and told them he and Ryo could manage things from there.

"Okay!" Dee slapped his hands together. "Let's get this beauty into the elevator!" He pressed the button and they waited for the building's lone elevator car to arrive, pulling the grille aside as soon as it did. Taking one end each, they picked the desk up and…

"Um, Dee, I don't think it's going to fit in the elevator."

"It will if we stand in on one end," Dee assured him. "Just get your end in, then we tip it up. Simple."

So they tried.

And failed.

When they tipped the desk up, the top of the elevator doorway was too low to get the other end of it through. Still, Dee persisted. "It's just a case of gettin' the angle right," he said firmly. "Maybe if we stand it on end and then lift it through the door…"

That didn't work either. An hour and much puffing and panting later, Dee sat down, exhausted. "Sorry, babe, it's my fault," he sighed. "I never thought to measure the elevator doorway. Looks like we'll have to get some help and carry it up the stairs." Ascending four flights carrying a solid oak desk was not a pleasant thought.

Ryo leant wearily against the desk. It really was a beautiful piece of furniture. He ran his hands over it carefully, checking to make sure they hadn't damaged it while trying to fit it through a doorway that was several inches too small. That was when he noticed something. Leaving Dee, he headed for the stairs.

"Hey! Where're ya goin'?" Dee yelled after him.

Ryo paused and leant over the railing. "I'll be right back. Just going to fetch something."

A few minutes later, he came back down the stairs and handed Dee an open bottle of beer. "Looked like you could use this; I know I could." He took a swig from his own bottle.

"Great idea! Thanks." Dee grinned at Ryo and took a long pull from his bottle. "Good as this is, it's not gonna help us with the desk though," he sighed.

"No, but this might." Ryo pulled a screwdriver from his belt. "I think the top is designed to come off," he explained, setting to work, putting the screws safely in his jeans pocket as he removed them.

"You're a genius!"

Ryo laughed. "No, just occasionally observant."

Five minutes later, they had the top of the desk off and propped against the wall since it was still too big to fit in the elevator car. The rest of the desk now went in easily, however.

"All we need to do now is carry the top upstairs, call the elevator up with the rest of the desk, and put it back together where we want it!" Ryo said, pulling the grille closed.

"Let's get on with it then!"

The top of the desk, though still heavy, was a lot easier to carry than the whole desk would have been and they were able to manage without any extra help. They propped it outside their apartment while Ryo punched the call button and Dee unlocked their door, and by the time they'd taken the desktop through to their office area, the elevator had arrived with the rest of the desk. In a surprisingly short time, they had it reassembled and positioned in the perfect spot.

"There, didn't I tell ya it would fit?" Dee asked, grinning as he sipped at his second beer, his reward to himself for a job well done.

"Yes, and you were right," Ryo agreed, choosing not to remind his lover of the problems they'd just faced getting it up there. It had been worth the effort, and they'd learned a valuable lesson in the process. When buying furniture in future, they'd have to remember to take the size of the elevator into account as well.

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The End


End file.
